This is one of the reasons why it makes sense to perform layoffs before the holidays rather than afterwards, if you really care about your employees. By waiting until after the holidays, you're possibly dooming the person and his family to severe financial hardship, but by limiting his income beforehand, you're forcing him to make arrangements for difficulties before he has gone and spent money he couldn't afford.

It may seem like a Scrooge-ish thing to do, but it is for the best in most cases.

That said, it sucks to be laid off around the holidays.

Coincidence?

One-in-three-are-tards

/More like 99.9%-out-of-100%-are-tards.

//I am one of the the proud 0.1%'ers.

///OWS'ers = the real tards.

I Am The Egg Matt Drudge Smears Upon His Body: One-in-three-are-tards

/More like 99.9%-out-of-100%-are-tards.

//I am one of the the proud 0.1%'ers.

///OWS'ers = the real tards.

This post really doesn't illustrate your point very well.

Ahhh, re-gifting. Where would I be without you?

/hope dad likes his victoria's secret gift card

Whoo-hoo discount double check going on lay-away!

Paying for Christmas in July.

Not smart.

AverageAmericanGuy:
That said, it sucks to be laid off around the holidays.

FTFY

AverageAmericanGuy: This is one of the reasons why it makes sense to perform layoffs before the holidays rather than afterwards, if you really care about your employees. By waiting until after the holidays, you're possibly dooming the person and his family to severe financial hardship, but by limiting his income beforehand, you're forcing him to make arrangements for difficulties before he has gone and spent money he couldn't afford.

It may seem like a Scrooge-ish thing to do, but it is for the best in most cases.

That said, it sucks to be laid off around the holidays.

Oh yes, if you really care, lay off early!
That's pretty funny! In a not so funny way.
I was "let go" dec 10 last year. Luckily I had a bunch of savings, which I still have not had to tapbut many, many others, and myself 5 years ago, are not so fortunate.
If any of you have a good job with good benefits, try not to belittle the rest of us.
I'm very lucky to not have a family to support.

But I do see your point. If you get laid off, don't buy the farkin iPad or whatever. Save the money for groceries.

AverageAmericanGuy: This is one of the reasons why it makes sense to perform layoffs before the holidays rather than afterwards, if you really care about your employees. By waiting until after the holidays, you're possibly dooming the person and his family to severe financial hardship, but by limiting his income beforehand, you're forcing him to make arrangements for difficulties before he has gone and spent money he couldn't afford.

It may seem like a Scrooge-ish thing to do, but it is for the best in most cases.

That said, it sucks to be laid off around the holidays.

Kinda like how firefighters do controlled burns to limit the spread wildfires, right?

Times are rough, I'm short on "ofs" dammit!

(CNN Money 2005) But Challenger said that while a holiday layoff may seem heartless, corporations at least can warn the affected employees of their fate before they overspend over the holiday.
And December can actually be a good time to be looking for a new job. Many employers have to wait for a new year before they get the go ahead to fill an open position. And he said this is a good time to be out networking and trying to get a leg up on other job seekers who may be less active during the holidays.

Link (new window)

chookbillion: AverageAmericanGuy: This is one of the reasons why it makes sense to perform layoffs before the holidays rather than afterwards, if you really care about your employees. By waiting until after the holidays, you're possibly dooming the person and his family to severe financial hardship, but by limiting his income beforehand, you're forcing him to make arrangements for difficulties before he has gone and spent money he couldn't afford.

It may seem like a Scrooge-ish thing to do, but it is for the best in most cases.

That said, it sucks to be laid off around the holidays.

Oh yes, if you really care, lay off early!
That's pretty funny! In a not so funny way.
I was "let go" dec 10 last year. Luckily I had a bunch of savings, which I still have not had to tapbut many, many others, and myself 5 years ago, are not so fortunate.
If any of you have a good job with good benefits, try not to belittle the rest of us.
I'm very lucky to not have a family to support.

But I do see your point. If you get laid off, don't buy the farkin iPad or whatever. Save the money for groceries.

laid off as of the 30th
/getting a kick

Sorry murph. I hope you find something permanent soon. Good luck,

Shenanigans! That implies that at least a third of the people in the nation aren't currently in debt. Oh. Britons. Welcome to America, Britain!

miss diminutive: Ahhh, re-gifting. Where would I be without you?

/hope dad likes his victoria's secret gift card

I'm sure he will.

For the record, he looks incredible in fishnet stockings and a silk bra.

Being poor sucks.

Last Christmas I got my wife a new car, but I'm not sure if that's they type of debt they're talking about since that's something I'd have financed anyway and I just happened to buy it at Christmas.

I refuse to click on Daily Fail links, however here goes my mini Christmas rant.

Since when did the amount of $ you spend on someone equate to the amount you love them? When were we conned into buying useless crap for people we really, honestly don't care for because we are scared we might look bad if they give us a present and we don't give them one. Why do adults act like present giving is some kind of dick measuring contest and then go and dig themselves a financial hole to win?

The sooner we act more like mature, honest adults around the holidays the better. We need to realize you can't get everyone in the office a gift. We need to realize it is unrealistic to buy all of the people you care for an awesome gift, or sometimes any gift at all. If your friends are really your friends they wouldn't want you to go into debt for them. Buy the kids a few fun things, buy special loved ones some little thing they might enjoy, and save the big screen TVs for a time when you can afford it.

But don't worry, the fact you own an iphone because you went into debt means there's nothing wrong with 30 years of stagnant middle class wages.

KittyShoes: Since when did the amount of $ you spend on someone equate to the amount you love them? When were we conned into buying useless crap for people we really, honestly don't care for because we are scared we might look bad if they give us a present and we don't give them one. Why do adults act like present giving is some kind of dick measuring contest and then go and dig themselves a financial hole to win?

Probably because it's a message that has been bored into us ever since we were kids? The reason is pretty obvious: most businesses (especially in retail) simply wouldn't survive without the holiday season. I try to give most people small, home-made gifts when possible (jars of home-made salsa anyone?) since I figure the time, effort and love I put into it is more significant than just going to the mall and picking out something. But if a significant portion of the population acted as I do then tons of shops would go belly up come January. (minus the tomato and spice shops)

Christmas has become this self-perpetuating monster that keeps the economy running.

BurnShrike: miss diminutive: Ahhh, re-gifting. Where would I be without you?

/hope dad likes his victoria's secret gift card

I'm sure he will.

For the record, he looks incredible in fishnet stockings and a silk bra.

30 ccs of mind bleach please.

BurnShrike: miss diminutive: Ahhh, re-gifting. Where would I be without you?

/hope dad likes his victoria's secret gift card

I'm sure he will.

For the record, he looks incredible in fishnet stockings and a silk bra.

"Incredible" is a bit strong. I'd go with "striking".

So far every time I've asked anyone what they want for various December holidays the reply has been "for you to go away." Which helps me to avoid any extra spending quite nicely.

miss diminutive: But if a significant portion of the population acted as I do then tons of shops would go belly up come January.

If that is true, then do these stores need to exist at all? Seems like a big old circle jerk of waste to keep the economy ticking over, and its not even working.

Any woman can easily spend $0 on gifts for the S.O. (or any guy, I guess) by printing up blowjob vouchers. Odds are it'll beat whatever the hell you were gonna buy anyway.

But you have to honor them.

KittyShoes: miss diminutive: But if a significant portion of the population acted as I do then tons of shops would go belly up come January.

If that is true, then do these stores need to exist at all? Seems like a big old circle jerk of waste to keep the economy ticking over, and its not even working.

Exactly this.

/Marx was right.

//EXTREMELY right.

KittyShoes: miss diminutive: But if a significant portion of the population acted as I do then tons of shops would go belly up come January.

If that is true, then do these stores need to exist at all? Seems like a big old circle jerk of waste to keep the economy ticking over, and its not even working.

Agreed. Does my local mall really need 4 jewellery stores, 12 women's clothing stores and 3 of those stores that sell chintzy porcelain knick-knacks that cater to 70 year old women? Probably not. But, if all of those stores went out of business all of their employees would not be pumping money into the economy, all of the employees of the suppliers for those stores wouldn't either, then every business sees less profits and start letting people go, which causes economic downturn across the system which blah blah, etc etc

Short of a complete overhaul of our economy or some kind of cataclysmic disaster that resets everything into a simple, post-apocalyptic barter system, I don't see a way out of the mess. People like me don't tend to fair so well in the latter scenario, so I'm hoping for the former.

/small become food for the big

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that at least 1 in 6 (maybe as high as 1 in 3) just don't buy gifts at this time of year and opt for not giving gifts or making gifts at much lower cost but with a higher "personal" feel. And the rest just stay within their means and don't spend more than their house is worth on gifts for people.

/Humbug!

miss diminutive: /small become food for the big

The small make themselves look bigger by puffing up or displaying frills or standing upright.

In the event of a global cataclysm, I have my profession picked out.

/tailor

AverageAmericanGuy: miss diminutive: /small become food for the big

The small make themselves look bigger by puffing up or displaying frills or standing upright.

In the event of a global cataclysm, I have my profession picked out.

/tailor

ORLY?

Nishu: We got rid of cable earlier this year. Funny side affect: My children now have no idea wtf they want for Christmas now that they have no commercials to guide them. My 7 year old actually has chocolate milk, pajamas, eggs and rice on her Christmas list. (Her favorite breakfast is fried eggs with rice.) Plus a big giant puppy.

Interesting (and adorable). I've always wondered how much of what kids want comes from TV exposure versus what their friends have. I know that as a kid I didn't want a remote controlled car until I went to my friend's place and saw him playing with one. My parent's didn't cave though, regardless of how much I begged.

AverageAmericanGuy: In the event of a global cataclysm, I have my profession picked out.

/tailor

Damn, good choice. I'm going to go with can-opener hoarder. There's going to be plenty of canned goods around and no way to open them.

/yeah, I'm screwed

I Am The Egg Matt Drudge Smears Upon His Body: /More like 99.9%-out-of-100%-are-tards.

//I am one of the the proud 0.1%'ers.

///OWS'ers = the real tards.

I want to wear a t-shirt to some occupy gatherings that says "For every winner there are dozens of losers. Odds are you're one of them"

If you have a brain and a good idea you can make money. Invent something or write an iphone app. who says the average middle class person who can only get a lame job a robot could do if they were cheap enough should be able to live comfortably and raise a family? If these people weren't allowed to have babies or chose not to since they couldn't afford it, it would only help the evolution of the human race. Not that I think the idiots making all the money in pro sports or wall st should be able to breed either though.

In my perfect world in order to breed you'd have to pass some sort of test that pro sports people and other rich losers would fail and would cost $500,000 or something like that, proving that you succeeded enough at life to have a kid, then they slowly give it back to you as child support or something, 40k a year or so till they're 18. Reckless breeding is de-evolving us and killing the planet.

stuffer: I Am The Egg Matt Drudge Smears Upon His Body: /More like 99.9%-out-of-100%-are-tards.

//I am one of the the proud 0.1%'ers.

///OWS'ers = the real tards.

I want to wear a t-shirt to some occupy gatherings that says "For every winner there are dozens of losers. Odds are you're one of them"

If you have a brain and a good idea you can make money. Invent something or write an iphone app. who says the average middle class person who can only get a lame job a robot could do if they were cheap enough should be able to live comfortably and raise a family? If these people weren't allowed to have babies or chose not to since they couldn't afford it, it would only help the evolution of the human race. Not that I think the idiots making all the money in pro sports or wall st should be able to breed either though.

In my perfect world in order to breed you'd have to pass some sort of test that pro sports people and other rich losers would fail and would cost $500,000 or something like that, proving that you succeeded enough at life to have a kid, then they slowly give it back to you as child support or something, 40k a year or so till they're 18. Reckless breeding is de-evolving us and killing the planet.

0/10

AverageAmericanGuy: This is one of the reasons why it makes sense to perform layoffs before the holidays rather than afterwards, if you really care about your employees. By waiting until after the holidays, you're possibly dooming the person and his family to severe financial hardship, but by limiting his income beforehand, you're forcing him to make arrangements for difficulties before he has gone and spent money he couldn't afford.

It may seem like a Scrooge-ish thing to do, but it is for the best in most cases.

That said, it sucks to be laid off around the holidays.

Agreed, my worst layoff was in January, I had taken a fairly large vacation that made the seven months between jobs harder than it otherwise would have been.

miss diminutive: Nishu: We got rid of cable earlier this year. Funny side affect: My children now have no idea wtf they want for Christmas now that they have no commercials to guide them. My 7 year old actually has chocolate milk, pajamas, eggs and rice on her Christmas list. (Her favorite breakfast is fried eggs with rice.) Plus a big giant puppy.

Interesting (and adorable). I've always wondered how much of what kids want comes from TV exposure versus what their friends have. I know that as a kid I didn't want a remote controlled car until I went to my friend's place and saw him playing with one. My parent's didn't cave though, regardless of how much I begged.

AverageAmericanGuy: In the event of a global cataclysm, I have my profession picked out.

/tailor

Damn, good choice. I'm going to go with can-opener hoarder. There's going to be plenty of canned goods around and no way to open them.

/yeah, I'm screwed

This is why I've been self-teaching and doing am internship at am auto repair shop. It's fun, and when no normal person can afford new cars anymore, they will need to keep their clunkers running as long as possible. That, and I can already fix a bicycle.

Am = an. Twice. Stupid autocorrect.

I remember being at a tradeshow a couple years ago and seeing a large plaster sculpture of Santa diving into a chimney - his boots are sticking out the top as he goes down and the chimney's bulging outward with his passage. What made it funny was the chimney being a giant Visa. Should've taken a picture.

/csb
//credit card debt is insane, just give everybody Toblerones

and that's why every day i fall to my knees and bless and praise god for making me an atheist